Making her way through the towering grass was a challenge. While the blades were pliant and easily bent out of her way they only grew more densely packed as she went. It felt more like wading through syrup then grass and the blades now towered a good two feet above her head. She was so focused on making her way through the undergrowth that when it abruptly ended she was sent stumbling forward. Arms waving frantically she just managed to catch herself at the edge of a large pit.

  Taking several cautious steps back she surveyed the scene. The pit was roughly twenty feet in diameter and a near perfect circle. A five foot wide path of dirt around the edge, marking the only open space between the pit and the towering grass that stretched in all directions.

  “Ok, that's weird. Definitely going around that,” she muttered as she slowly made her way around the pit, doing her best to keep as far from the edge as she could manage. But halfway to the other side the pulling in her chest turned sharp, making her stumble. Regaining her balance she felt the sharp tug once more, and there was no mistaking its intention. It was pulling her toward the pit.

  “Ya, no. Not doing that. We can find another stone. One that's not in a creepy massive pit,” she stated, looking at her chest, as if the pulling sensation could hear her. Taking another few steps away from the hole she was nearly pulled off her feet, as the tug attempted to drag her toward the chasm edge.

  “Fuck!” she cried out as she landed face first in the dirt. Growling she sat up in a cross legged position and looked at her orange and yellow body. “Seriously? There's nowhere else we can go?!” as if in response to her question she felt three short tugs toward the pit. She ran her hands over her face with a groan, then let out a long sigh.

  “Fine! Lets see what we have to work with,” she stood and inched as close to the edge of the hole as she felt comfortable. She couldn't see the bottom, the pit was obscured by heavy shadows after a few feet. Examining the sides she found them to be shear and fairly smooth with no obvious hand holds or protruding rocks.

  “So free climbing my way down is out of the question. I need a way to propel down, maybe the grass?” she remembered that some of the first methods of ropemaking had to do with braiding grass and other plant fibers. The grass around her was certainly long enough, she attempted to pull a few clumps out by their roots, but as soon as they came loose from the soil they evaporated into puffs of red cloud.

  “Shit! Forgot about that,” so she was surrounded by material she couldn't harvest, basically putting her in an empty dirt field, “What I wouldn't give for some rope, or even a sturdy vine,” with a sigh she turned back to the hole. Maybe it wasn't as deep as it looked and she could slide down. But as soon as she turned her gaze back to the pit she saw something strange. A thick latticework of creeping vines now clung to one of the edges of the hole.

  “That . . . was not there a second ago,” she cautiously approached the tangled growth and touched it gently. The vines were smooth, roughly an inch around and dotted with tiny soft leaves. Peering over the edge of the chasm she saw the vines descended the wall into the darkness and out of sight. Grabbing the plant firmly with both hands she pulled back on the vine leaning her full weight into it. It didn't budge.

  “Well, don't look a gift horse in the mouth I guess,” she muttered to herself, still not feeling overly convinced. The pull in her chest tugged twice as if urging her on. Steeling herself she squatted at the pits edge, grabbing tightly to the vines along the ground she lowered her right leg, searching for a foot hold. She found purchase, then lowered her other leg. With a deep breath she started her descent, praying that the vines went all the way to the bottom and that her arms wouldn't give out on her.

  She refused to look down, staring into a bottomless pit wouldn’t do her resolve any favors. Thankfully her eyes had adjusted to the gloom and she was able to make out the wall and her plant assisted path with decent clarity. So she focused on the wall, searching for solid hand and foot holds, testing the vines to make sure they would bear her weight. A few times she slipped, causing her to drop momentarily. She would cling to the wall for several minutes until her heart dropped from shear panic levels to moderate anxiety, then continue her climb.

  Time stretched on and she wasn't sure how long she had been climbing. It felt like hours. She’d needed to take several breaks, looping her arm through a vine and flex her cramping hands attempting to shake out the soreness. There was no way this pit could actually be bottomless. What would be the point of sending her on a wild goose chase? A not insignificant part of her wanted to give up and climb back out, go back to Ignis and tell him the stupid test was broken. But every time she considered it a nagging thought would ask, what if she was almost at the bottom? What if she was so close and just gave up? Inevitably that fear of being so close and giving up won out and she would continue.

  At the fourth hour, her foot searched for its next perch, only to be greeted by solid ground. She jumped down, slightly unsteady after the long climb, but grateful to have something firm under her feet. Her joy was interrupted by the tug in her chest, it had dulled to a low thrum simply guiding her downward the last several hours. But it reared its head again, sharp and insistent. She turned, following the pull, till her eyes landed in a dark alcove of the pit.

  While she was able to make out her surroundings despite the gloom, it was the one spot that remained stubbornly inscrutable. It was as if the shadows intentionally made themselves darker. She squinted and slowly approached the corner, straining her eyes in an attempt to spot the stone. It was here, the pull in her chest was practically screaming at her. Then she heard a sound that made her freeze. It was a low growl, deep and rumbling, and belonging to something very big.

  She stood rooted in place as she gazed into the blackness. The growling grew louder and she watched as two glowing gold eyes appeared. Slowly the shadows shifted and transformed into the figure of a massive black wolf-like creature. It stood at least eight feet at the shoulder, paws the size of dinner plates that could easily rip her head off and a giant maw filled with razor sharp teeth. It let out another low growl and bared its fangs at her.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Slowly as possible, heart pounding in her ears, she took a step back. She had to get back to the vine wall and get the hell out of here. That thing could swallow her whole in two bites. How the hell was she supposed to fight something like that? Not taking her eyes off the beast she scooted her feet along the rocky ground, where her heel caught on a raised stone, sending her sprawling onto her backside.

  “Shit!” she unconsciously let out a surprised curse that was half scream as she hit the ground. The wolf growled again and let out a rumbling bark. She froze. Waiting for it to pounce on her. But nothing happened. The creature merely shifted, crouched low to the ground and continued to growl. It was as it moved that she caught sight of a streak of red along the wolfs left front leg.

  It was hurt. Slowly she maneuvered from her place on the ground to a crouched position. The massive canine continued to growl, but drew back into the shadows ever so slightly. Her fear dimmed a bit, no longer worried that the animal would attack, she took a moment to really look at it. While it still struck the same imposing figure she noticed how it hugged the wall, cradling its bloodied paw to its chest, long bushy tail tucked under its body.

  “Your scared,” she whispered, her fear was replaced by an ache of sympathy for the animal. It dawned on her there was only one way in or out of the pit, “You fell in, didn't you? That's how you got hurt?” the wolf only growled in response. She rose to her feet, attempting to get a better angle to assess the damage to the canines paw. As she did, it scurried farther back along the stone wall, growling loudly.

  The animal was in fight mode, anything she did would be perceived as a threat. If only she had a way to make it feel more at ease. From her experience training dogs, food was usually the best way to build trust. She could really use a pile of T-bones right about now. Mulling over what other options she had to help calm the animal a smell drifted to her nose. It brought to mind images of the cold case at the grocery store. The smell of raw meat.

  Confused, her eyes darted around the space. There it was, just to the right of the vine covered wall she descended. The remains of an animal, what looked to be some sort of antelope or deer, hide peeled away and bright red flesh exposed. Remains that she was positive were not there when she entered the pit. Cautiously she approached the corpse. What she found made the situation even stranger. While the skin was peeled back there were no claw marks, no chunks of flesh ripped off. It looked as if the animal had been flayed by a butcher.

  “This place is starting to get a little creepy. But I’ll take what I can get,” gingerly she dragged the remains toward the wolf. As she grew closer its growling reached a fever pitch as it desperately scrambled back. She paused then slowly pushed the meat toward it ever so slightly, close enough that it could get to it easily but not so close she was invading the corner it had claimed.

  “It’s ok. I’m not going to hurt you,” her voice was low and gentle as she slowly backed away from the carcass . As she put distance between them the wolf stopped growling, then took a cautious sniff in the direction of the meat. Catching the sent it licked its chops, and eyes locked on to her, slowly approached the remains. The animal took a hesitant bite of the meat, before devouring it greedily. Her heart ached as she watched the wolf feverishly consume the remains. How long had it been down here?

  Meat now gone the wolf had begun lazily chewing on the bones. Taking this as her cue, she slowly crept toward the animal. The canine flattened its ears against its head as she did so watching her intently, but made no other move. Now only a couple feet from the animal she was able to make out several details she had initially missed. The first thing she noticed was how its ribs protruded from under its black fur, the pore thing was practically skin and bones. Inspecting its leg she winced. Up-close she was able to see the leg was mangled, hanging in a slightly wrong direction, coated in dried blood and what looked to be the edge of a bone jutting out from the skin.

  Any hesitation or fear of the animal she may have still had, vanished, as she reached out to pet the top of its head. It flinched slightly, but once her hand made contact with the surprisingly soft fur it relaxed. The wolf let out a low wine as she gently stroked it.

  “It must have been scary stuck here all by yourself,” she spoke in a soothing tone, “you’ve been such a brave boy,” the wolf nuzzled its head into her hand as she spoke. She had to get it out of there, but how? It wasn't like she could carry it out. Even if she did get it out of the hole it was badly injured, it wouldn't make it on its own in this state. But what could she do? She had no way to help. Or did she?

  A train of thought that had been brewing in the back of her mind surfaced. Random threads that began to weave together. It had started small with the branch she had used as a weapon. It hadn't struck her as odd in the moment but as she had thought about it she realized there were no trees in the field she had been traveling. Not even large shrubs. So where had the branch come from? It was a small inconsistency, easy enough to brush off.

  But then there was the vines. She was sure they hadn't been there when she first examined the pit. And again they were the only plant life of the kind she had seen, they felt so out of place. Not to mention they just so happened to perfectly stretch from the top to the bottom of the hole. That was a convenience too weird to ignore. But the final nail in the coffin was the animal carcass. She knew it hadn't been there when she descended, and the way it looked like it had been professionally butchered, not killed by another animal.

  Something, or someone, was helping her. Maybe it was Ignis, maybe just this weird place itself. But she was certain of it. Every time she needed something it appeared. Despite everything she had witnessed the idea still felt rather out there. But what did she really have to lose? Still stroking the wolfs black fur she focused on its injured leg, willing for a way to heal it. For several minutes nothing happened. Then she felt it. A sudden weight in her lap.

  Looking down she saw a red satin bag with a simple drawstring. She gently picked up the bag and slowly opened it. Inside was a glass vial that was corked at the top, the liquid inside shimmered with a rainbow of colors. The wolf sniffed at the bottle curiously, before turning its massive golden eyes to her, almost questioningly.

  “I’m not sure what this is, but I think its going to help you,” the animal huffed slightly and she took that as her cue to proceed. Uncorking the bottle she carefully poured its contents on the badly wounded leg. The canine let out a slight whimper as the mixture fizzed slightly. Then before her very eyes, the bone snapped back into place and the skin knitted itself back together. The massive wolf licked at its now intact leg a few times before gingerly standing up.

  Tail wagging, it trotted a quick circle around her, not even the hint of a limp in its canter to indicate it had ever been injured. The massive wolf padded up to her and licked her face several times.

  “Hey!” a burst of giggles bubbled up from her chest, “Alright, your welcome! Now knock it off!” she attempted a stern tone but it was completely undercut by her laughter. Once she was thoroughly drenched with wolf slobber her new friend was finally satisfied. Sitting back on his haunches, tail still wagging, he let out a short bark. She wiped at her face with her arm, and knew she should be annoyed, but found it impossible to be so when staring at the happily panting wolf.

  “Well, I’m glad your doing better,” she scratched behind one of its massive furry ears, “Now, you haven't happened to see a little glowing pebble, have you?” the question was rhetorical, as she didn’t expect and answer from the wolf. And as she figured it said nothing in reply. However, it did stand up and proceed to trot over to the wall it had been laying against when she first arrived in the pit. Curiously, she watched the animal as it dug into the hard earth with its massive paws. Snuffling in the loosened dirt for several minutes before returning to her.

  The wolf lowered its head, dropping something on the ground at her feet. Curious, she crouched down to examine it. At first glance it appeared to be a muddy clump of dirt, but as she prodded it with her fingertips she felt something hard. She dug into the mound, loosening the dirt before pulling out an egg shaped stone the size of her palm. Despite the dirt still clinging to its surface it shown with an opalescent array of colors.

  She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. It took several minutes for her to tear her gaze away from the stone. When she finally did there was no pit, no vine covered wall, and no massive black wolf. She stood in a short grassy field, and off in the distance she could see the tree and the clearing. Several figures were making a beeline toward it, some running and others walking. Under the canopy she could see the imposing figure of Ignis. She stared down at the stone in her hand, rubbing the surface with her thumb and smiled. Then she set off for the tree.